


Trials of Courage

by TheHiddenGlitch



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27855474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHiddenGlitch/pseuds/TheHiddenGlitch
Summary: While the nine heroes continue their journey through the mysterious time gates, the group finds themselves in a Hyrule which has neither a princess blessed with sacred powers nor a hero who has wielded the sword which sealed the darkness. Instead, they find a Hyrule which holds great disdain and resentment toward its past history. Ever dismissive of the heroes of old. Unsure of why they were brought to this era in history, the answers may lie in one only known as the "Witch".
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Act 1 - Part 1 - The Call of Courage

* * *

**Trials of Courage**

**Act 1 - Part 1**

**The Call of Courage**

* * *

There were many things about Hyrule that still remained the same. From the grand mountain peaks of both lava and snow to the grasslands and deserts. The intense heat of Death Mountain where the strong Goron resided to mine away. The awe-inspiring and watery Zora’s Domain where the Zora called their home. The intense and prideful Gerudos of Gerudo town, who dominated the desert. The towering heights of Rito Village; the vast open space allowing many to take flight. The quiet and secluded reign of Kakariko Village. Not far was the quaint town of Onhate. South below the coastal Relinlu village that never seemed to never have shock arrows. All of it was breath-taking for her to see.

It was still strange, how much beauty the land had to offer. Even if the ruins of Hyrule Castle continued to leave an unforgettable scar that was the old kingdom of Hyrule. Just thinking back to the past history and what has become of those left. It made them wonder why they had been forsaken.

How funny was it, how an event over one thousand years ago would find its way to the present. Still having damaged this land like the great evil back then. And how the view upon the traditions of old were now seen as anything but holy. It was no wonder many scoffed at the notion of a hero or a princess blessed with sacred powers. They had to learn to survive without them for over a thousand years. The same held true for many dismissing the ways of old for a brand new start. One they had believed to be powerful to defeat the great evil once more.

And what happened when the evil returned? Many would argue on what exactly happened. It had only been a few years since the great evil had returned. But what was agreed upon was how all the inhabitants of Hyrule not loyal to the great evil had united for one battle. Though much of what truly transpired was kept a deep secret. And everyone tended to keep it that way. However, it wouldn’t stop those with strong curiosity.

It was the reason the adventurer had chosen the path she took now. It made her life quite a hermit; never able to stay in towns for too long. But it was for the best. She might be more Hylian by blood, though the amount of Gerudo in her veins made her appear more Human. A trait her brother was thankfully spared from. Though it did not hurt her too much when they took their separate paths. The twins had suffered enough already. This little pain was for the best, as the world would not be kind if the secrets they bore where to get out.

Which was why the female adventurer found herself taking refuge from a storm. Her current situation had her recently clearing a lake full of dangerous monsters. Most of which had drained her arrow supplies. So while counting the spoils and seeing what she could easily sell or reuse, she was taking account of everything she had on hand. Primarily while the harsh thunderstorm seemed to rage on outside. Lighting striking not far from her position. But in the cave with a fire going, she would easily make it. 

Sitting by the fire illuminated her features. Her toffee blonde hair could easily be mistaken for brown. It was currently being dried off. Soaking with water as her pale lavender eyes watched the droplets fall. She gently smiled, using her gloved hairs to twist out whatever remained. Had she been more prepared, she could have saved the trouble of her hair. At the very least, the blue cloak she wore had protected the rest of her body. All she had forgotten was her hood. Maybe it was time to cut her hair.

Her eyes then noticed what laid right across from her position. Leaned against a rock was a sword. A dark crystal resembling an eye on the cross guard. A blade with engraves which seemed to hint at something more. Something she knew; one of the few to maintain this secret. And the one she hoped to solve and put to rest. If the goddess above did not interfere, as she always did.

Sitting back up straight, she knew that returning to a shop and restocking on arrows was in order. Most of her other equipment still was usable. At least the metal of her boots had been able to not get damaged. Then again, only Death Mountain seemed to even dent the boots she wore.

In the midst of silence, she saw the eye of the blade start to light up. Only slightly. This meant one thing. And she better grab it before it got any worse. Getting up, she reached over and gripped the blade. She returned to her seat. Sheathing the blade, her eyes closed as the pouring rain created noise. Noise to keep her mind off of the blade. And speaking of her mind, a hand shuffled onto her body to pull out a journal. Aged and worn down, it didn’t seem like anything special. 

But to the adventurer, she opened it up as it revealed a worn-down map. Small written words scattered about with details throughout it. It had been used for many things. But then she flipped to a certain part of the journal. One with a folded page and big, bold letters. They were faded over time, but still legible. 

_“Hyrule Historia: The Bygone Era”_

* * *

The adventurer was aware of how things were of the past. With what she collected, discovered and recorded, her job would not so much be an adventurer. Though there were consequences of a hobby she ended up acquiring after hearing of ancient relics of old. Such as the sword of evil’s bane, ancient beasts construct of machine or rumors of magic said to be lost to all but a rare few. The importance of keeping this history alive tended to become the stuff of legends and fairy tales. Or twisted to fit a narrative of how they bore no true weight on history. It was this sort of thing that made her journey across the land. Hoping to uncover what was lost.

She found some discoveries which she had to painstaking seek out parts to restore or find a place to store them safely. While the world seemed to want to move on from the past, it was the same past which chained them in the present. What good has that done? It was destroying more than people thought. And it was exactly why she tended to keep her hood up as she entered the town. No one dared do anything rash to her. This was one of the few settlements she could honestly trust. But it was a habit to keep it up. In case any new traders would come along. For even in a town such as this, many would pass through.

The adventurer was minding her own business. Having returned after finishing the job, the local shopkeeper was happy to hear of this. Eager to purchase the spoils. She took a look at the arrow stock. They hadn’t gotten a full restock on the more exotic arrows, but there was a place monsters should have plenty. She so took out a hefty amount of rupees and purchased enough to last her another week. And a few extra so she can take down the stronghold with the extra arrows.

“...I keep telling you, you’re not going to find any Hero around here!” She had not expected much when she stepped out of the shop. But overhearing a conversation regarding a Hero caught her attention. How long had it been since she heard someone ask about a Hero? One that had not been of ridicule or condescending?

Peeked with curiosity, she looked toward the way she heard a person talking. Of course, she knew one of the men. It was Augustine. The self-proclaimed protector of the town. And totally illiterate by her standards. He never once believed the tales of old. Not even of the ancient hero. Something most kids at the very least idealized until they got older. But not Augustine. He got into so much trouble

Sighing through her nostrils, she thought of just leaving. Not at all ready to deal with him. It was easier to ignore him. But what stopped her were the other two conversing with Augustine. She hadn’t seen either of them before. And she generally could recognize anyone encountered during her travels. At least appear-wise. They stood out to her, something her keen eyes could see.

_Andthemagicoftheswordbegantoreactanditdidnotlikeitdidnotlikeitwhyaretheyheretheyneedtodietheyneedtodieneedto_

She shook her head. Dismantling the presence before it grew too great while she took a better look. One seemed very plain in dress. Clearly made for adventuring but not the standard attire Hylians wore these days. Though on closer inspection, the blue tunic seemed more fit for the seas than land.The one one had a strange color to his tunic. Four distinct colors. How odd of a choice to stand out with. Were they brothers? Perhaps, considering their size. Kids were kids; perhaps they were just inspired by the tales of old and not quite there in age. Not too far off from dismissing those tales.

“...But that can’t be true!”

“Listen kid! I don’t care where you or your brother come from, but let’s make one thing clear.” The adventurer tensed up upon hearing Augustine’s threat. She noticed his hand gripped on the sheathed blade he had. “We don’t have a Hero. Never had one and never needed one. So why don’t you actually grow up and-!”

The female cleared her throat, getting their attention as the metal of her boots clicked with the stone path below. As she, purposely, made a loud noise to get the attention of Augustine the most. Before he ended up accidentally hurting a child based on his threat. “Enough Augustine. They are just kids.”

Augustine turned around. The other two children seemed surprised as she stepped forward. Her cloak was hiding some of her belongings, but she knew what she was exposing. Her light grey inner tunic over her regular lighter blue one. A belt secured around her waist to hold many items. But one held a crossbow here her gloved hand rested on. She didn’t need to fire an arrow if she had the time to pull out and use its blunt edge to strike. It wouldn’t be the first time.

She knew the Hylian narrowed his eyes upon seeing her. He stood up and turned his attention to her. Both not hiding their contempt for each other. “You came back to town, Witch.”

Her eyes rolled at the name. “And I see you’re harassing children again. Was it not enough last time I was here?” She added an eyebrow raise at that.

“Not like you haven’t done it before.” He would have spat at her. But with her hand on her weapon, she noticed his own hand moved away from his weapon. “You’re lucky to still be allowed into town.”

“As with your attitude. Your mother should be ashamed.” The adventurer did not flinch, but kept her hand on the weapon. “Why don’t you get going before I tell her you would have nearly turned your sword onto two young boys?”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh really? You think your word will stand up to the mayor whose life I saved? Try me,” She pressured him. A crack of a grin on her face. Since she did save his mother, this was one of the few leverages she could use that wouldn’t result in a bloody brawl. And she wasn’t exactly willing to do that in the middle of the day in front of children. “I’ll wait.”

He didn’t respond. Just stormed off with a huff. But she could feel the glare toward her. And she waited until he was far enough away. To where she couldn’t hear him over the regular village noise to remove her hand from her crossbow. Thankfully, avoiding what might have been a bad encounter.

Satisfied with that, she had intentions of simply parting ways and moving on. Before she could, apparently she was caught off guard by the two she had saved from Augustine’s wrath.

“Wow! That was so cool!” The one in the blue tunic exclaimed as they came over. 

“You really didn’t have to do that for us.” The one with multiple-colors on his tunic added on.

“Couldn’t help myself,” She shrugged before looking at them. “And I couldn’t help but overhear you talking about a Hero. For future reference, try to keep stuff like that out of his range of hearing. He’s a stick in the mud about it.”

“Really? All we were asking about was if there was a recent crisis and if someone stepped in to stop it. You know, normal hero stuff,” The blue tunic happily said. “But I’ve never seen someone get so mad about that sort of question.”

The adventurer sighed. Eyes closing for a moment before opening halfway. “That’s pretty common actually. There aren’t many who hold that sort of thing in memory. Not since what happened over one thousand years ago.”

“What happened over one thousand years ago?” The other one inquired at that mention.

“...Do you not know? Out of all the history, it's pretty common knowledge.” She had to tilt her head at that question. Kids were often taught that early on, so how come they did not know of it? Then again, they did look pretty foreign. “Then again, I’ve traveled a lot and I don’t recognize where your garments are from.”

It seemed like her observation sparked something between them. Or at least one seemed more nervous about it than the other. Clearly it meant something. But she wanted to wait for an answer before she spoke or acted. One wrong move could be bad.

“Well, that’s because we recently traveled to Hyrule,” The multi-colored one responded before the other one could. “And we want to learn some of Hyrule’s history.”

“Y-Yeah!” The other agreed. “But no one’s really been up to help.”

She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but they seemed like good enough kids. It couldn’t hurt to tell them. But not too much. She couldn’t trust them entirely. Not since that reaction was trying to stir up the sword’s presence.

“Well, I guess it can’t hurt. It is a reason Augustine calls me a Witch after all.” She stifled a chuckle before continuing on. “Hyrule’s never had a Hero or Princess in over one thousand years.”

“Over one thousand years!?” Both blondes exclaimed. Startling her a bit just from the pitch.

The adventurer squatted down after checking that no one else noticed. She hushed them. “Quiet! No one really likes even talking about what happened back then. It is a pretty sore subject and could get you in trouble.”

“But whatever for?” The younger one asked her - or she judged based on his face. The other one did look older with more colors to his clothing. 

“Because Hyrule barely even exists; it is more so a large continent than a kingdom. It has been that way ever since the great evil vanished and left the kingdom of old without a royal bloodline, a Hero or the sword. Been that way for centuries,” She finished before standing up. “And everyone seems to enjoy it this way…”

“What about you?” The older one she presumed asked her.

“Me? I, uh,” She began to speak before she stopped herself. 

Arriving into town was a caravan. Full of Hylians. One that knew would rat her out the minute any of them spotted her. Now wasn’t the time! There were better things to do than chat with them. Besides, her presence could put them in danger if she didn’t run quickly.

“Sorry. I got to cut this short. Nice talking to you!” She excused herself before starting to run off in the other direction. Already, the magic of her boots started to come to life the longer she ran. It would not take long for them to activate and she could get out of there.

“There she is!” “It’s the Witch!” “Get her!”

Her heart raced as she continued to run. Soon enough, she understood the magic had fully charged the winged gems on her boots. And in an instant, her run sped up incredible as she hastened out of the village and into the wilderness. Away from the world that forgot the past. Away from the world chained by its own mistakes. Away from a place whose change may never come. All she hoped were the two in the village would not suffer a fate like hers.

* * *

**“Witch”**

An enigmatic adventurer of a Hyrule, she appears to be one of the few who has knowledge of the true history of Hyrule. At least of this Hyrule. And is seemingly shunned from places for this reason. Known to many as the “Witch” for reasons unknown. Carries with her a strange sword with unknown magical properties.

* * *


	2. A Notion of Courage

* * *

**Trials of Courage**

**Act 1 - Part 2**

**A Notion of Courage**

* * *

When it came to gates, there were many things that were still a mystery. Such as how these actually worked, what determined the times and places they connected or why this was going on. However, the group knew two things. Of a monster which has been dark sorcery - the likely culprit for everything going on. Though it did not answer everything. 

These gates connected Hyrules across different timelines and ages. At first, none of them truly understood what was going on. Only a few had even experienced something similar to this. Not to this extent. Yet somehow, each great hero of Hyrule was united as a single group. From the Chosen Hero to the Hero of Hyrule. Each one bore the Spirit of the great Hero. The Master Sword and Hylia seem to call them to deal with the darkness threatening Hyrule.

So when they traveled from one gate into a Hyrule that no one recognized, that was a change. A change the group knew usually meant one thing. Another hero like them was here. With the same name and spirit, waiting to be recruited to face whatever darkness was causing this. Or so they assumed. There weren't many times that the gates brought them to a new place in Hyrule’s history. The only times it happened was when it was trying to unite the heroes. And it has been quite a long time since they began a group of nine.

“...I don’t understand! How can they do that?!” Wind vented as he was walking down the road with Four. The two had left the village some time ago after what had happened. Both unease at what they learned and witnessed. “All she did was stop that guy from attacking us.”

“We can’t be sure of that.” Four started to recount what they had learned. “This isn’t a Hyrule any of us know. Neither was she. For all we know, she could have tried to kill us.”

“But she didn’t! How come she was the only one willing to tell us anything? Even in my Hyrule, no one was that distasteful about Hyrule’s history,” Wind paused. “Here? It is almost as if it was for nothing. Like they didn’t care at all! Not about us. Not about the royal family. Not even about Hylia herself!!! It’s almost like we never even mattered!!”

“I know how you feel, but we can’t make assumptions yet.” Four kept up a stoic face despite how divided he was on the inside. Already, there was a brewing argument about what the words of the Witch had said. “All we know is this ‘Witch’ was the only one willing to give us information. And this same person is currently being hunted down for reasons we don’t understand.”

Neither of them could make a true opinion until they met up with the others. But clearly, this Hyrule was unlike any other. Sure, Wind’s own Hyrule had a history that seemed related to this one. But at the very least, there were those willing to talk about it. Though neither Four nor Wind had an inkling of where this was in history. All they could do was hope to find the others and share information. That way, it could be an informed opinion and decision on what to do next. 

Yet Four couldn’t shake something off from his consciousness. Nor from the raging ones inside. This ‘Witch’ had somehow discerned they weren’t from this time period. Almost instantly. It made sense if her words of being an adventurer were true. But something didn’t fit right with this thought. Not entirely. Four had a feeling there was something more. Especially with the sword she carried. 

He hadn’t given it much thought. She was willing to give them information, even if incorrectly assumed he was a child. There wasn’t any reason for him to give much thought to the equipment she carried. But he had realized only now she had tried to hide the sword. A sword, seemingly enchanted with strange magic. One that did not appear completely natural. 

He only had a glance of it. The eye on the blade's cross guard. Something unsettled him about it. Almost as if… he was... looking... reflection….

“...Four? Four!” Wind shouted into his companion’s ear. The smith startled out of his deep thought. “Hey, something wrong?”

“...No, it was nothing.” Four shook his head. Putting that thought aside, he had to deal with the inner turmoil he had. “I just hope the others are okay. If the town was anything to go by, no one’s going to get a warm welcome.”

* * *

Meanwhile, a different set of Links were in a different sort of predicament. While it was pretty uncommon for them to pair up, Hyrule and Wild had ventured off before any of the others could protest. There was always something about them. Exploring a Hyrule without needing a guide or much noticeable infrastructure. They could venture on for days. Though, this often meant in exchange for their vast amount of exploration, they never had any skills in following their footsteps. Often getting lost.

But, in Wild’s case, he had a reason. At first, he had brought out his Sheikah Slate. Despite the reservations the others had, it still had its uses. And usually, he could easily identify if they were in his Hyrule with it. He suspected that the getaway was to lead to his. After all, it was only chance. Nothing came of it at first. Meaning it wasn’t his. 

Though once he started to wander off with Hyrule, something happened. His Sheikah Slate was responding. Which shouldn't be the case. The map would often open up to his Hyrule without problem. For the others, he could access all the other functions but the map. Making sense, considering no other Hyrule had Sheikah Towers active. Yet here, he was able to open the map. It wasn’t a perfect or clean map. Chucks of it were flickering in visible. Nor could he use many other functions of it.

This had Wild puzzled. While aware that his Hyrule’s place in time seemed far distance compared with the others. Immensely, considering what he had seen of the other Hyrules of his fellow Heroes. But this Hyrule? It was connected to his in some way. Could it be sometime before or afters? He wasn’t sure. But something kept nagging him as he continued exploring with Hyrule. 

And that something was not seeing something run across the path and come to a screeching halt. Right in front of a lake clearing. 

Besides coming across a few deer and squirrels, neither had seen anyone else since they ventured off. And neither were expecting to find someone so soon. They could tell something was different about this person. Considering how fast they were running. That and the fact electricity seemed to have been charged through her boots. That same magic dying down as the figure was leaning over. Catching their breath by the looks of it. 

Neither knew what exactly to do. But considering how this person could have fallen in the water and they were the first person they came across… It wouldn’t hurt to ask them for directions.

That was their justification. They did not appear to be a threat. And it wasn’t like this was an enemy trap. There wasn’t much to lose.

Hyrule took the initiative of speaking as Wild put away his Sheikah Slate. He did not want to raise any alarm by having that active. And Hyrule may have a better time than him. 

So they did just that. 

* * *

“Hey! Are you alright?”

On instinct, she wanted to reach for her crossbow and shoot whatever was behind her. Her adrenaline and the presence of - _ nothevoiceof _ \- started to act up. Wanting to protect and defend without a care for what would be harmed. But she hung onto herself. Unwilling to give into those fears as she looked back. Fighting off those innate instincts, she kept one hand on her primary weapon as she turned around. And not  _ putyourhandsonthswordtheswordpleaseyouhaveto _

What she saw didn’t directly set off alarm bells or force her into fight mode. It wasn’t like there were monsters. Nor were they angry citizens with weapons already out. No, they did look like Hylians. But nothing outwardly told her that we were hostile. In fact, they did remind her of the two possible children from earlier. The presence would not shake itself off. So, she tried to play it off. Seeing how they stopped upon noticing her hand resting on her crossbow.

She nervously chortled. “Eh, s-sorry about that. Had a run in with… monsters earlier.” A quick lie came to the forefront. Having them know what really transpired would be bad. And she reckoned by the looks of them, they wouldn’t immediately raise their weapons. “Thought you were some more...”

“That’s reasonable.” The more plainly dressed one responded. His other companion with the long blonde hair simply nodded. “Though you did surprise us earlier by nearly running into the lake.”

“...I tend to get that a lot.” She lifted one of her boots in question. The metal is still intact and the gemstones no longer have the glow from earlier. But then, she focused her attention away from herself and to two of them. “If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, you two wouldn’t happen to be travelers, would you?”

“Something like that. How could you guess?” 

“Call it a lucky guess. That and I’ve been traveling across Hyrule for a while now. I know pretty much everyone who ends up traveling, especially Hylians,” She explained with a small smile. “So either you are newbies or you’re coming from somewhere I’ve never seen before.”

That got some humorous responses from the two. At least more so in the speaking one than the one in a blue tunic. 

“You’re not entirely wrong. We’ve only recently come to Hyrule,” The more talkative one answered back. “We were hoping to come across a town, but my companion and I are lost.”

“A town?” She stopped herself from laughing. “What a coincidence! I was just in town earlier. But I wouldn’t recommend going. Because by the looks of the sky…” Stepping back, the adventurer held a hand up toward where the sun is. “...I’m guessing it's going to get to nightfall before you even reach the gates. And that’s only if you got boots like mine. Regularly, it's about a day and a half to travel from this lake to town.”

“A day in a half?!” Now that got both of them to shout. Geez, were they like the two young boys from earlier or what?

“Then how did your boots get you over here so quickly?” The talkative one inquired, looking to her boots.

“Simple. Magical enchantments. I can practically run across Hyrule in minutes rather than hours. So long as I can recharge them, that is.” Her free hand reached down and patted the metal accessories holding the gems in question. “But if you’re looking to get to town, I-!”

She never got to finish. Not as a stray arrow was shot and nearly struck her. If not for the presence of her sword pulling her aside as the other travelers got their weapons out. One immediately with his bow and firing back in retaliation. 

The sword’s presence flared up her natural instincts. Forcing her to dodge before her mind could catch up. Avoiding the accidental wound as her eyes darted to find the attacker. She would get her answer quickly when the glisten appeared. Of weapons once used for protection now turned against their original purpose. The faint glow of metals held by Stalfos.

The adventurer didn’t have time to ponder questions. Not as more came from the trees and out into the open. It appeared the three were on the same page.

“We can talk later!” The one with the sword shouted as the other fired a second arrow.

“Fine by me,” She agreed as she aimed for another shot at one of the skulls. Aiming right in the gap from the deceased’s helmet.

Her shots were on point. Each arrow found their mark and carefully made sure none of the Stalfos weapons found themselves drawing too close. It didn’t appear obvious how they shimmered with ancient magic. Having those blades draw near would spell disaster. Though? It appeared they wouldn’t get the chance. Considering one of the two men had an enchanted blade of his own. Preventing the properties from activating right away.

The other had excellent precision with his bow. Each arrow piercing bones with ease. Not quite at the caliber of the Rito. But it wasn’t anything to scoff at. These were experienced fighters. Adventurers or soldiers perhaps. But this told her much of what to immediately take note of as she continued her barrage with the crossbow. 

These Stalfos were former foot soldiers. None of them were a problem and with how there was only five, it was not a problem to deal with. At least for the brief combat they engaged in. As the final one was shattered to pieces, the weapons rested. Armor as well as the remains ceased to be. Tiny specs absorbed back into the weapons which started to glow even more.

“That’s the last of them. Thanks,” She said, lowering her own weapon as the other two did. “Sorry for putting you two in danger because of me.”

“It’s no problem,” One of them said. He had already begun to return his sword when her eyes glistened at the red gems.

“...Hold on, that blade… it’s a magical one, isn’t it?” She tried to keep her hopes low. If it truly was an enchanted weapon, then perhaps…

He seemed a bit confused. Was he not aware of what she meant or-?

It was quickly cut off by a yelp. Her attention quickly snapped to the other one. Who had the bow earlier but now was grasping his wrist as the glow of the Stalfos’ blade only grew brighter.

Cursing to herself, she quickly was spurred into action. On instinct, she dashed over and using the heel of her boot, quickly smashed it right into the blade. The enchantment of it dissipated as what little magic she channel came through. Barely enough to be noticeably different from before.

She waited until the black mist from the remains was no more. The metal of the blade only shattered, rusted remains. Matching the armor left behind with no host of magic left. Then, she spoke. 

“Don’t touch those weapons. Stalfos weapons are known to curse whoever grasps their blade.” Her gaze looked to the others' remains and the visible swords. But she could not get rid of the guilt that filled her heart. “...My apologies. The only way to stop their effects is destroying the weapon itself quickly. I should have spoken up at once.”

“I see…” The one in blue checked out his hand.

“Weapons like these are why most Hylians fear magic of any kind. Things like these have terrorized Hyrule since everything changed.” She looked down at the ground for a bit before looking back at the blue tunic one. “You should be fine. It should fade in an hour, but your palm will be numb.”

“Which is why you asked about my sword, correct?” The other one walked over. Hand resting on his weapon of choice. 

She nodded. “I only know a handful of magical weapon users. And they are the only things that can handle facing weapons like these.” She stepped over to another one. The others had already been broken into pieces. The magic within them begins to fade over the time of its use. “Fortunately, the rest seem to be out of magic. Most monsters carrying weapons like these don’t exist anymore. Might be left over and on their last legs.”

“...Seems like you know a lot about Hyrule,” Facing them once more, she turned around at that observation. A fact that seemed to pester her around.  _ Justlikesomanyotherthings _

“Guess you could say that. Practically more than anyone else these days.” She muttered the last bit underneath her breath before clearing her throat. She quickly cleared it and brushed aside anything regarding the last thoughts. “But back to what I was saying before we were interrupted. Town is about a day and a half away. That’s the closest Hylian town if you want.”

“Closest Hylian town?” She read the confusion on both their faces.

“Yeah. Most experienced adventurers like me know that the closest town here is actually a Zora town. Takes only a few hours and some swimming to get to. Though Zora Armor and knowing how to swim are highly recommended for getting in and out.” The female adventurer explained. “But from the looks of it, I don’t think it would be the option you two were looking for.”

“Yeah, we will take the Hylian one.”

“In that case, I don’t mind guiding you back to the main road. You can get pretty lost in these parts.” She offered to them. Considering how they did help save her life. It was only fair to do the same.

“Really?! That would be most appreciated,” They both seemed genuinely happy about that. Good. So far they didn’t seem to be the type to get off with her actions. Granted, that could change. But if it meant possibly getting to know more about what she thought was a differently enchanted weapon, she would take that chance.

“But before I forget, I never got your names. Best get that out of the way before we get going.” She stretched a bit. “Best to call you something other than Brown and Blue.”

“Ah, right. You see, our line of work has us using nicknames. So I go by Hyrule and he’s Wild,” Brown respectively introduced himself and his friend.

“Hyrule and Wild… not entirely the worst ones I’ve heard.” She chuckled a bit. “Funny, I use a sort of ‘nickname’ myself. Considering how the group I’m a part of uses nicknames. Just for safety reasons. So in that case, call me Linkle.” She winked and gave them a little salute. “Nice to meet you too!”

* * *

**“Linkle”**

An enigmatic adventurer of this Hyrule who goes by the nickname of Linkle due to her work. Knows quite a bit about this Hyrule’s history and is shunned away from many settlements. A part of some unknown group. Accused of being a “witch” of sorts. Carries around a “cursed” sword with her. Does not fight with the sword; instead, she relies on her crossbow and her boots in fights. Seemingly well-adept with magic.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear all the other Links will get to meet her soon. Next chapter is definitely going to be the proper group introduction around a campfire and moving things along. And that’s as much of a spoiler as I’m going to give besides maybe extending the parts of this story to be about 10 in total.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a continuous drabble I've been working on that kind of fits into a snug short story or flash fiction. Based on a version of Hyrule that started off as a Breath of the Wild AU from my own experience playing the game. But it has evolved and I really enjoy writing and exploring ideas of it.
> 
> Possibly once Part 1 is done, I might do loose drabble one-shots. Just because I am a fan of Linked Universe. I plan this to be about 5 five parts/chapters excluding the silly one-shot eyes or drabbles I may right. I'll label things accordingly.


End file.
